The #1 movie over the past weekend (10/24-10/26) was High School Musical 3, for a second week in a row, which brought in $15,316,072 ($62,034,083 overall.) Since I gave you my review of that movie last week, I figured I’d review the movie that came in second place in the box office…the controversial Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Writer/director/producer/Silent Bob-portrayer Kevin Smith’s latest flick brought in $10,065,630 in its first weekend. There is a theater in Utah that refuses to show the movie because of the title (oh…and the plotline.) Yet they will show Saw V…filled with people being tortured, sliced, and squished (go figure.) Smith’s core audience (of which I am a part of as a 33-year-old male) will love it, because it has almost everything a growing boy needs…filthy language and nudity (almost too much nudity…it’s disturbing to see the skinny Jason Mewes showing off his Full Monty.) Leads Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks (who is in six movies this year) have good chemistry as two platonic friends who decide to make a porno to pay their bills. It’s not my favorite Smith movie (his first flick…1994’s Clerks…is still my fav), but it’s extremely funny. (more…)

The #1 movie over the past weekend (10/24-10/26) was the third chapter in the Disney Channel movie series, High School Musical 3, which brought in $42,030,184 in its first weekend. This one is the first one brought to the big screen…and obviously, it was a good idea to do so. I took my girlfriend’s niece to the screening, and she squealed in delight, which is what her demographic (7-14-year-old girls) would do…especially if they saw the first two movies. I’ve seen them (mainly because I’m a student of popular culture), and I thought that they were just okay. The singing and dancing was top notch, but the story was pedestrian and the acting was cheesy. This movie is more of the same. Basically…the only people who might like it are tween girls (or fans of musicals.) On a side note…HSM3 director Kenny Ortega has been given the greenlight by Paramount to move forward with his musical remake of the 1984 film Footloose with HSM3 star Zac Efron in the Kevin Bacon role, based on the box office results of this film. It’s proposed release date is in 2010. (more…)

The #1 movie over the past weekend (10/17-10/19) was the video game adaptation Max Payne, which brought in $17,639,849 in its first weekend. Mark Wahlberg plays a great Max Payne, but I couldn’t take Mila Kunis (FOX’s “That ‘70s Show,” Forgetting Sarah Marshall) seriously as an action star. I didn’t think that it even looked like a video game movie until the last third of it. It has the “bullet time” effect near the end, but overall, this summer’s shoot ‘em up comic book adaptation Wanted was much cooler and interesting than this one. (more…)

The #1 movie over the past weekend (10/3-10/5) was the Disney talking doggie film Beverly Hills Chihuahua, which brought in a surprising $29,300,465 in its first weekend. Starring the mostly Latino voices of Drew Barrymore, George Lopez, Eddie “Piolín” Sotelo, Andy Garcia, Placido Domingo, Edward James Olmos, Paul Rodriguez, Cheech Marin, and Luis Guzman, this family film is a cute one for the kids. The parents will be entertained as well, but its not really one that I could see adults paying full price for without kids present. (more…)

The so-called “stars” of the seventh season of ABC’s hit show “Dancing with the Stars” were announced on Monday morning on “Good Morning America.”  The stars this season are:  Lance Bass, former ‘N Sync singer and actor (paired with Lacey Schwimmer); Toni Braxton, Grammy Award winning singer (paired with Alec Mazo); Brooke Burke, model/TV host (paired with Derek Hough); Rocco DiSpirito, TV chef and cookbook author (paired with Karina Smirnoff); Maurice Greene, Olympic Gold Medal winning sprinter (paired with Cheryl Burke); Kim Kardashian, model, stylist, stolen sex tape star, and reality TV star of E!’s “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” (paired with Mark Ballas); Cloris Leachman, Oscar and Emmy winning actress (paired with Corky Ballas); Cody Linley, “Hannah Montana” star (paired with Julianne Hough); Susan Lucci, Daytime Emmy Award winning “All My Children” actress (paired with Tony Dovolani); Misty May-Treanor, Olympic Gold Medal winning volleyball professional (paired with Maksim Chmerkovskiy); Ted McGinley, multiple sitcom actor and JumpTheShark.com “patron saint” (paired with Inna Brayer); Jeffrey Ross, comedian and director (paired with Edyta ?liwi?ska); and Warren Sapp, former NFL player for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders (paired with Kym Johnson.)  Since Bass and Braxton are the only singers competing, I thought I’d give you their Billboard chart history. (more…)